


Avatar: The Last Alchemist - Book Two: Air

by satiricalnerd



Series: Avatar: The Last Alchemist [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe, Avatar Edward Elric, Definitely more of an AU, FMAB in the Avatar Universe, Gen, Occasional fluff, Some Mild Trauma, Some angst, not quite a crossover
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:13:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26470942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/satiricalnerd/pseuds/satiricalnerd
Summary: In the second book of Avatar: The Last Alchemist, Avatar Edward Elric and his brother Alphonse continue their quest to get their bodies back and prevent Firelord Bradley from using Sozin's Comet.
Relationships: Alphonse Elric & Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric & Edward Elric & Winry Rockbell, Heymans Breda & Vato Falman & Kain Fuery & Jean Havoc & Riza Hawkeye & Roy Mustang, Riza Hawkeye & Roy Mustang, Riza Hawkeye/Roy Mustang
Series: Avatar: The Last Alchemist [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1911742
Comments: 3
Kudos: 22





	1. The Fortune Teller

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first chapter for Book Two! To everyone who followed the fic to its second installment, thanks so much!

The Elric brothers were rummaging through the shelves of Makapu Village’s meager library. 

“Most of this is worthless,” Edward remarked as he passed over book after book. “Why is there so much information on fortune-telling? They know that’s completely fake, right?”

“I don’t know brother, but you might not want to question their traditions. That’s what got us kicked out of the last village.”

Several months on the run from the Fire Nation had their toll on Avatar Edward, who had lost what little patience he had for ignorance. 

“There isn’t anything of use here,” Ed sighed. Another bust. “I’m not surprised.” 

He might not be surprised, but Edward couldn’t hide his obvious disappointment. Nothing about Sozin’s Comet could be found in any library in the Earth Kingdom. Even in those who were not yet under Fire Nation control. 

“We don’t even know how this could be used as a weapon, Al,” Edward said. “All we know is that it’s a thing, it exists, and it’s a problem. This is usel-”

Al clamped a heavy metal hand over his older brother’s mouth. Edward struggled for a moment but stopped when he heard footsteps outside. 

“Is anyone there?” A soft female voice asked from the hallway. The door creaked open.

“Come on Al,” Ed hissed, “let’s make a run for it.”

The brothers began to hide behind a bookshelf, but Al’s massive metal body knocked it over.

“I’m sorry, brother,” Al said quietly. 

The game was up.

“What are you doing in my library?” 

Ed gulped. “Just pursuing this lovely collection?”

The woman sighed. “Does that involve knocking over bookshelves?”

“It does when my brother’s involved,” Edward joked. 

“Ed!” 

“Why are you here so late?” The woman sighed. “Come on out. I’ll bring Aunt Wu down to talk to you.”

Ed and Al exchanged a glance. 

Not knowing what else they could do, Al hurridly righted the bookshelf and winced at all the books splayed about.

“Come on, Al,” Ed nudged. He followed the woman out the door to the library.

“Wait here,” the woman instructed firmly.

“Should we just bolt for it or-”

“Ed! We intruded on their library, the least we can do is own up to it.”

“Psh, that sounds a little overrated. But if you insist.” 

A few moments later, the young woman and an elderly lady that Edward assumed to be Aunt Wu descended the stairs.

“So you two decided to break into my library?” 

“That’s correct,” Edward said. 

“Ah well, that’s alright.”

Ed and Al were both surprised at the woman’s dismissive attitude. 

“But Aunt-” the young woman asked.

“Not now, Rose. We can discuss this later. Now I would like to read the fortunes of these intruders.”

Edward looked at Alphonse as if to say “can we bail now?” 

“I’m sorry,” Alphonse said politely. “My brother and I shouldn’t have intruded on your property. But I’m afraid I don’t understand why now would be an appropriate time for fortune-telling.”

“That’s alright,” Aunt Wu said. “You don’t need to understand. The short one, come with me.”

“Who are you calling short?” Edward sputtered. 

Aunt Wu only chuckled and motioned to Ed to follow her. 

Frantically looking at Alphonse, Edward mouthed “why are we still here?”

“I’d go with her if I was you, brother.”

Ed muttered something and proceeded to follow Aunt Wu.

Alphonse chuckled to himself. His brother’s punishment fit his crime. A part of him understood the eccentric woman whose personal library he had sneaked into. Another, more sensible part, was very much confused.

The woman from earlier was still standing there, looking solemn and awkward.

“I’m sorry about earlier,” Alphonse said, scratching the back of his helmet. 

“That’s alright,” the woman said. She brushed her brown hair behind her shoulder. “This isn’t even the craziest thing that happened this week.” 

Al snapped to attention. “What do you mean?”

“There’s another stranger here in town. He came by to visit Aunt Wu a few days ago. He fought off a few Fire Nation scouts. Tensions are pretty high right now, actually. First scouts come, then armies. If Makapu falls, I don’t know where I’ll go.”

“What’s your name again?” Alphonse asked.

“I don’t think I said. My name’s Rose.”

“That’s a nice name,” Al said softly. “I hope the Fire Nation stays away from here too.”

“At least the man with the scar will be here to face them if they decide to try anything,” Rose said somberly.

If Al had possessed a human heart, it would have stopped. 

“Rose? Did you say he … had a scar?”

“Yes, why? What’s the matter?”

“Where is the scar?”

Rose paused to think for a moment. “It’s in the shape of an X, right over his eyes.”

Alphonse cursed under his breath.

“What? Is something wrong? Do you know him?”

“As a matter of fact, I do. He tried to kill me.” 

Rose gasped. “You mean, he’s not going to help us?” 

“No, I didn’t say that. Plenty of people try and kill my brother and I. He’s just … more memorable than most.”

Scar was here? The same person who had killed Fire Nation officials all those months ago? The airbender … the only one that Al had ever met? 

Al began to think. Edward needed an airbending teacher, and if there was one in town… 

His thoughts were interrupted by Rose.

“I’m not going to hurt you, you can take off your helmet,” she said softly.

“I’m not sure that’s such a great idea,” Alphonse said brashly.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry. I just figured the armor is probably pretty heavy.”

There was a pang of regret in Al’s chest. He wished he could feel the stuffy and heavy heat that would normally come from this suit of armor. 

“It’s alright.”

Aunt Wu ushered Ed down onto a cushion of some kind. 

“Alright, good, good,” she said to himself. She sat down on a pillow across from him. 

“How long is this gonna take?” Ed asked.

“Not long. Pass me your right hand.”

Ed stifled a laugh and showed Aunt Wu his automail arm. 

“Fascinating,” she said, not minding. “But I suppose I’ll have to see the other one for a proper palm reading.”

Edward swapped hands and sat impatiently waiting for his punishment to end. He was used to people trying to kill him. This was so much worse. At least when someone was trying to kill you, you knew that the fight would end, one way or another. This felt like an eternity. 

“Ah. Your head line indicates that you are a man on a mission. You have a great deal of passion, but I will warn you that sometimes that can work against you.”

Ed rolled his eyes.

“Your heart line is unusually deep and strong. You have many ties to the people around you, but your heart belongs to only one person.”

Trying not to blush, Edward averted eyes from Aunt Wu, who laughed. 

“Your life line is short, but deep. You are individual and autonomous, but you may just burn out.”

“Nothing that I didn’t expect,” Edward said, rolling his eyes again. Fortune telling was worthless. He was certain that Aunt Wu had been a scam artist, back before she lost her marbles and started believing what she was selling. 

“You’re going to be involved in a great battle,” Aunt Wu said. “It will determine the fate of the four nations.”

This caught Ed’s attention. “Wait- who told you -” 

Suddenly the door slammed open.

“Al! Is something wrong?” Ed shouted, jumping up off his cushion, readying his fists for a fight. 

“Brother! Scar’s here, in town!” 

“That bastard? He’s here? Was he following us?”

“No, he’s been here for several days, according to Rose.”

Rose almost hid behind Alphonse’s giant metal body, blushing furiously.

“We better scram before he catches up to us. We can’t go back to Winry and Pinako if he shatters my automail again.”

“I had a different idea. You need an airbending teacher, right?”

“Oh no,” Edward sputtered. “Absolutely not.”

“Think about it! He hates the Fire Nation as much as we do, if not more. If you told him that you were going to use your powers to take down Firelord Bradley, I’m sure he’d be more than happy to teach you.”

“Al, are you even listening to yourself? He tried to KILL us!” 

“Because he thought we were Fire Nation! If we tell him our identity-”

“I don’t like this idea of yours.”

Alphonse sighed dramatically. “Can’t you think critically for once in your life? You aren’t going to stand a chance against the Spirits, or have a chance to stop Sozin’s Comet if you can’t master all four elements!” 

“We don’t even know what Sozin’s Comet is!” 

“And we aren’t going to find out. The evidence has clearly all been destroyed. The only people alive who know are the Colonel and his Lieutenant, and Havoc if he’s alive. We can’t exactly go back to the Fire Nation and ask then if you’re only half an Avatar! We barely made it out alive!”

Ed muttered to himself. He knew his brother was right. A lot of people did try and kill them after all. Maybe it was time to have one less enemy. 

“I’ll think about it,” he grumbled.

Aunt Wu hurried up to the pair of them, holding a cup of tea.

“The tea leaves say that your brother is right, young Avatar,” she said seriously.

Meanwhile, across the ocean, Colonel Roy Mustang received a message. The Firelord was going to be paying him a visit.

“Do you think he knows about our suspicious absence? Has he put two and two together?”

“We were wearing masks, Lieutenant,” Roy said. “But it is a definite possibility.”

Riza Hawkeye nodded.

“Be prepared for whatever happens. We’re not out of the game yet,” Roy said gravely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed chapter one! Chapter Two is up now. 
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are appreciated! :)


	2. The Airbending Master

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mustang's crew has all been reassigned. Meanwhile, Edward and Al need to convince Scar to become Ed's airbending master.

Warrant Officer Vato Falman knocked on the Colonel’s office door.

“Come in,” Roy said. 

Falman opened the door slowly.

“Good to see you, Falman,” Colonel Mustang said grimly.

“How is Havoc doing, sir?” Falman said, giving a half-hearted salute. Roy waved his hand and motioned for Falman to drop the formalities. 

“He will live,” Roy said. “But the doctors don’t think he will walk again.”

Falman’s heart skipped a beat.

“Colonel, are you sure?” 

Roy nodded, his eyes not betraying any emotion. “They’re sending him down to the Southern Water Colony. I told them it happened in a training accident, but I’m not sure if they believe me.” 

“The others and I shouldn’t have stayed behind, sir,” Falman said, tears brimming in his eyes. “I know Breda and Fuery feel the same way.”

Mustang nodded. “I understand, soldier. However, we were lucky no one died. We brought only the forces that were necessary.”

Falman nodded.

“Wipe the tears from your eyes, Falman. Havoc is alive,” Mustang said, awfully briskly. 

Nodding again, Vato squeezed his eyes shut tighter to prevent the tears from escaping. 

“There’s something else I came in here to discuss with you, sir,” he said. 

Mustang’s head perked up. “What is it?”

“I have been reassigned. They’re sending me up to the Northern Water Colony.” 

Mustang’s eyes popped. “You too?”

“Wait- what do you mean?” Falman said, his heart racing. “Have- has anyone else been transferred?”

The Colonel nodded and raised his eyebrows. “Fuery and Breda were just in here to see me. Breda is being sent to the Southern Water Colony. Fuery is going straight to the front lines, not too far from Ba Sing Se.” 

Falman took a step back. “Do they know, sir?”

Mustang nodded. “Most likely. At the very least, Firelord Bradley has his suspicions about the other masked people who broke into his catacombs. In any case, he doesn’t have enough evidence to prove it, or he would’ve dispatched us already. 

“Although, the only reason he hasn’t eliminated us publicly is probably that I’m a higher ranking officer. I couldn’t just go missing, the public would notice.”

Vato Falman rubbed his sweaty palms together. His heart felt like it was about to burst out of his chest. 

“What about the First Lieutenant?” Falman asked. He knew that Riza and Roy were almost suspiciously close. It was something that anyone could pick up from watching their interactions. As a friend of Riza himself, Falman couldn’t help but worry about her. 

Roy almost growled, and his eyebrows narrowed. “She’s being sent to the Firelord’s Palace, as his personal guard.” 

Falman’s eyes shot open. It couldn’t be. Not only did the Firelord have strong suspicions that the Colonel and his crew were involved, but he had enough intelligence to use Riza as blackmail.

“Sir- she-” 

“Have faith in the Lieutenant, Falman,” Roy said, although Vato got a feeling that he was telling it to himself too.

Falman nodded. “And, one more thing, sir,” he began. “Have you heard anything from the …” Vato stopped himself before he could say ‘Avatar’. “The Elric brothers?” 

Roy shook his head grimly. “The last thing they should be thinking about right now is us. We’ve caused them enough grief as it is. I can only hope they have a plan.”

“How are we going to do this?” Ed muttered to himself. He was standing in the middle of the market in Makapu village. Scar was just a few feet away, selecting a papaya fruit for himself. 

He pulled the cloak further over his head, hoping that Scar wouldn’t notice him until he wanted to be seen. Al was hiding in a back alley, not wanting to immediately alert Scar to his presence. 

Suddenly, Scar looked over towards Ed. Turning away as fast as he could, the Avatar pulled the cloak down as far as it could go.

“Hey, is that-” Scar said. 

This was absolutely not going to work. Why did he listen to his brother again? 

Ed bolted, sprinting down the street as fast as humanly possible. There was shouting and muttering from behind him as he ran at full speed down the street. 

“Brother? What’s wrong?” He vaguely heard Al shout as he passed the alley where his brother was hiding. 

“Hey, why’s that kid running?” a voice shouted. 

Al’s heavy metal footsteps echoed behind him. 

Edward cursed himself. Why did he think this would work?

“He saw me,” Ed shouted back towards his brother.

Al said something he couldn’t quite hear. 

“Come on, around this corner,” Ed hollered through the commotion. 

He turned around and suddenly- 

“What are you two monsters doing here?” Scar said.

Ed took a few steps back and tripped over a loose stone. 

“Please! Listen to us for a moment!” Al yelled. 

Edward, out of breath, gasped for air as he stood up shakily. His nerves were shot to hell, and he was absolutely not ready to face the man who almost killed him.

“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t rid this city of two Fire Nation spies right now,” Scar said, menacingly. He took a stance, and his eyes narrowed. 

“I’m the Avatar!” Edward almost screamed. 

Suddenly all the noise stopped, and Scar put his hands at his side. 

“Why should I believe you?” Scar said, but undoubtedly softer. 

“I can prove it!” Ed said, standing up firmer and brushing himself off. 

“We aren’t with the Fire Nation anymore,” Al offered. “We were only there to get information.”

Scar clenched his fists. 

“I don’t understand. You- the short one - you’re the Avatar? But you’re a firebender.”

Edward shook his head. “I’m actually a native earthbender. My brother, Alphonse, he’s an earthbender too.”

Scar took a step back. 

“I need you to prove it,” he said darkly. 

Edward hesitated. He hadn’t even thought he was going to get this far. 

“Okay,” he said. He took a stance and moved the earth beneath his feet up several inches so he was looking Scar eye to eye. 

“You … you really are the Avatar,” Scar said, unclenching his fists. “This is unexpected.”

“This isn’t exactly how I expected today to go either,” Edward said, crossing his arms. 

“I don’t exactly condone what you’ve done,” Scar said grimly. “But I suppose I won’t kill you.”

“That’s a start,” Alphonse said as positively as he could.

“How do you know what we’ve done,” Edward said, looking into Scar’s empty and emotionless eyes.

“It’s obvious- as it should be to any Air Nomad. You don’t try and come face to face with a spirit. When we were fighting in the Fire Nation, your brother’s helmet came off. There was nothing inside. I was fighting an arrogant and impulsive boy. It was a natural assumption. How you did it I don’t know. Although your being the Avatar answers that question.”

Edward turned around to look at his brother, who shrugged. 

“I want you to teach me airbending,” Edward said firmly.

“You can’t be serious,” Scar said. 

“You’re one of the only airbenders left.”

“Like I would teach airbending to a twink who already thought he knew enough about the Spirit World to come face to face with it.”

“Well, clearly I didn’t,” Edward said, gritting his teeth. “Maybe if I’d had a proper teacher I wouldn’t have tried anything so stupid.”

Scar shook his head and crossed his arms. “I know the Avatar is inherently supposed to be a being of goodness, but you definitely don’t seem like the heroic type. Siding with the Fire Nation for personal gain and sheer arrogance isn’t what I’m looking for in a pupil.”

“Scar,” Alphonse said, “you have to teach Ed! Where else would he find an airbending master? Yes, we might have made some serious mistakes in the past, but we are working to correct them! How can Edward stop the Firelord and bring balance to the four nations without mastering the four elements?” 

There was a long pause. A small crowd had gathered around the commotion. Edward stared up at Scar with fierce determination that would scare almost anyone. 

“Is that kid the Avatar?”

“I don’t know.” 

“What’s the guy in the armor doing?”

“Do you know what’s going on here?”

Scar looked back at Edward and matched his sheer force of will.

“I will think about it,” he said firmly. “I’m going to consider the possibility.”

“That jackass,” Edward said. “Doesn’t he know that the fate of the world is at stake?”

“He still associates us with the people who destroyed the Air Nomads. We are lucky he is even considering teaching you.”

“Sure, whatever,” Ed mumbled under his breath. 

Edward took a bite out of the fresh papaya he had purchased at the market with the little money he had left. 

“Aunt Wu is about to give this year’s prediction!” A stranger said, standing only a few feet away from the brothers and talking to a friend of his. 

“I wonder if the crop yield will be good this year?” His friend responded.

“What’s this about?” Ed asked the two men, curiosity burning in his chest. 

The shorter man gulped and turned away.

“You’re the Avatar, right?” his friend asked.

Edward nodded. No point in hiding his identity anymore.

“Well, every year Aunt Wu makes a large prediction about the overall welfare of the Makapu village.”

Edward snorted. “You’re telling me that you guys believe in fortune-telling?”

The men looked at each other. “You don’t? I thought by being in tune with the spirits …”

“First of all, I’m not in tune with anything. Secondly, fortune-telling is a scheme.”

“Brother,” Al whispered in his ear. “You can’t just go around telling people that what they believe in is fake.”

Edward ignored his brother. “You have to think for yourself! You can’t just believe everything that gets told to you.”

“But Aunt Wu told me that I’d meet the love of my life while wearing these red shoes! And I did!” The man said earnestly. 

“After she told you this, how often did you wear the red shoes?”

“Every day!” the man announced proudly.

“Then of course it’s going to happen!” Edward said, his voice rising. 

“So you do get it!” 

Alphonse had to hold his brother’s arms back from completely lashing out at the man. 

“Come on, Ed. It’s best we didn’t cause any trouble.”

Ed sighed, and Al let go of him.

“Let’s go see what’s happening,” Al suggested. “It might be interesting, and it would get your mind off Scar.”

Edward rolled his eyes. “If you say so. Be prepared to restrain me again. I don’t have the patience for ignorance anymore.”

“I always am, brother.”

Firelord Bradley sat on his throne. The red fire blazed in front of him as he heard the throne room door open.

“It’s late, Wrath,” the voice said. 

“Oh? I would’ve retired to my quarters early if I knew you’d be visiting me.”

Envy laughed. “You’re hilarious,” they said. “Where’s Pride?”

“He’s out tonight,” Wrath said. “Why are you here?”

“Father wants to see you. With Lust dead, things haven’t exactly gone as planned. He needs to meet with you tomorrow to discuss an … alternate strategy,” Envy said with a smirk.

“Do you have any idea what he means?” Wrath said cooly.

“I don’t know for sure, but it might have something to do with getting rid of the pesky Colonel, and going after the Avatar.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! Sorry, the break was longer than usual. I'm studying for my PSATs and ACTs right now, so for a few weeks updates might not be as frequent as usual. I do promise that I will update at least once a week!
> 
> Thanks a billion to everyone who's been reading! As always, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!


	3. Misfortune

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward and Alphonse realize that Aunt Wu's prediction about the volcano was wrong, and do what they can to prevent disaster.

Alphonse guided his brother to the center of Makapu village. There, a crowd was gathered.

“Great,” Edward muttered under his breath. 

“Let’s just see what this is about.” 

Ed shrugged. He didn’t have much else to do.

Aunt Wu stood on a platform in the middle of town. She was looking at a chart and pointing up at the sky.

“That cloud symbolizes a good harvest season!” She exclaimed. 

The villagers around Ed and his brother jumped and cheered.

“It’s a strong shape, might even be enough to offset last year,” Aunt Wu said with a smile.

“You hear that, kids? We can eat the food we’ve been saving! We’ll have plenty to go around very soon!” 

A father and his two young children right in front of the brothers were celebrating the news. 

Edward almost choked on air. 

“You’re kidding, right?” He said. “You’re going to eat up your rations because some old hag said you won’t be needing them?”

The father turned around to face the brothers, his eyes wide with concern. “Do you not believe Aunt Wu? Clearly, you must not have seen her great power yet.”

Edward rolled his eyes, and Alphonse put his helmet in his hands. 

“Don’t be stupid. She’s only saying that because the rain has been great this year, and the crops are looking well enough now. What happens if there’s an early frost? Or if soldiers destroy the fields? Do you want your children to starve?”

There was a metal hand on Ed’s shoulder. 

“That’s enough, Ed.” 

Edward snorted. “If this fool wants his children to starve, that’s his concern. But I won’t let him do it ignorantly.”

The two kids looked up at their father.

“Brother, look,” Alphonse said softly.

Every head in the crowd had turned towards the Avatar and his metal brother. 

Aunt Wu glared down at the brothers. There was an unsettling silence, that was broken by the stern old hag. 

“We don’t need to bother with nonbelievers,” she said. The crowd murmured in agreement. 

“To continue, let’s look at that cloud. It looks like this coming year will be an excellent time for children!”

Ed’s mouth hung agape. 

“Brother,” Alphonse whispered. “You really shouldn’t have said anything. This is their culture, and it’s not our place to tell them what to believe.”

Deep down, Edward knew that his brother was right. 

He decided to shut up and observe the rest of the meeting. Just when he thought that Aunt Wu had to be done rambling on, she announced that she had one last prediction to make. 

“And, look there! That cloud is a sign of tranquility. This year, our village will not be destroyed by the volcano!”

There was cheering in the crowd, and Edward bit his tongue to keep from remarking. They weren’t going to check for themselves?

Later that day, Edward sat on a bench next to his brother, eating the last papaya and watching the sunset. 

“I’m sorry if I snapped at you earlier,” Alphonse said softly.

Ed grunted. “Don’t apologize. I would’ve gotten us kicked out of here. If that had happened, all my chances of having an airbending master would fly right out the window.”

Alphonse nodded. “I understand why you said what you said.”

“That’s enough for me.” 

The brothers sat there in silence for a while.

“Edward? Alphonse?” A soft voice from behind them said. 

Ed spun his head around. “Rose? What are you doing here?” 

“Aunt Wu sent me here to come and retrieve you for the night.” 

Edward and Alphonse exchanged a look. 

“You mean she’s still letting us stay with her?” Al asked, genuinely surprised. 

Rose nodded. “She let you stay with her after you broke into her library. I’m not sure there’s anything that would change her instinct about you two.” 

The brothers exchanged another more concerned look. 

“Alright,” Edward said cautiously. “Let’s go, Al.” 

As he stood up from the bench, there was a rumble beneath his feet. Unbalanced already because of his metal leg, Edward fell flat on his face. 

“Brother! Are you alright?” 

Ed pushed himself up. “I’m fine. But what was that? You don’t think it was-”

“The volcano.”

Edward nodded grimly. 

Rose looked at the brothers, appearing to be flustered. “The volcano? But - it’s not going to go off this year! It must be something else.”

Edward pointed to the volcano on the north side of town. Grey smoke was billowing out the top. 

“I doubt it,” he said.

“But-but how? What’s going on? What will happen?” Rose stammered, panicking. 

“You go get Aunt Wu. Have her wake everyone who’s already asleep and evacuate the village.” 

Rose looked terrified for a moment and then nodded resolutely. She ran off.

“Come on, Al,” Edward said. “We’ve got to take care of this. We’ve gotten out of worse before.”

Alphonse nodded. “I actually have an idea. It will require both of us to work, though.”

Edward smiled. “Then let’s not waste any more time. Come on!”

“During times like this, I wish I could airbend,” Edward grumbled, stumbling his way towards the top of the volcano. 

“I admit, this wasn’t how I thought today was going to go.”

Out of breath, Ed gasped for air and put his hands on his knees.

The red and viscous lava bubbled at the peak of the volcano. Black steam rose from the molten rock, causing Edward to cough and double over. 

“Let’s hurry!” Alphonse shouted. “It could be a matter of weeks or a matter of minutes, but this volcano is definitely going to erupt!” 

Edward nodded, pushing himself to his feet. 

The brothers took their positions at the northern side of the volcano. 

“One! Two! Three!” The brothers shouted in unison. They then took their stances and moved the earth from the northern side of the mountain down. Lava began to trickle down the backside of the mountain, flowing downhill and away from Makapu Village. 

“Again!” Alphonse shouted.

“One! Two! Three!” 

With a push of Edward’s hands, more of the lava began to flow down the side of the volcano, spilling out and away from the town. 

“Just a little more!” 

Another push and the rest of the northern volcano rim gave way. The rest of the boiling molten rock trickled away from the village. What was left looked … docile and harmless?

“Do you think that’s good?” Edward shouted between coughs.

Alphonse nodded. “If we empty too much more, the core base of the volcano might become unstable. The entire village would be decimated in seconds. This does seem to have satisfied the volcano for now. We didn’t damage the structure, just redirected the flow.”

Edward watched the steaming lava continue to flow downward. “Let’s go get the villagers. Hopefully, they all evacuated.”

When the Elric brothers returned to Makapu village smelling like smoke, they saw that everyone was still there.

Rose was arguing with an older gentleman. “I don’t see what all the fuss is about, young lady. The volcano isn’t going to hurt anyone this year.”

“But we need to evacuate!” Rose shouted.

“No need right now,” Edward said. “We took care of it, although it won’t be permanent. You might need to relocate to a safer place, or create failsafe measures.”

Rose breathed out a sigh of relief. “So we’re going to be alright.”

Alphonse nodded. “For now. But Brother’s right when he says you need to rely more on yourselves and less on Aunt Wu.” 

“I told you!” The father from earlier said. “Aunt Wu said the volcano wouldn’t destroy the village, and it didn’t!” 

Edward accidentally facepalmed with his metal hand and instantly regretted it.

“Let it go, Ed,” Alphonse said quietly. Edward could swear he heard a snicker coming from his brother. 

“Oh, whatever. Some people won’t listen to science if it slaps them in the face,” he muttered.

“Can your science explain why volcanos erupt? Or why it rains?” The man said skeptically.

“Yes!” Edward shouted. “Yes, it can!”

Alphonse didn’t hide his chuckle this time. 

A hand touched Edward’s shoulder. He bristled and jumped around to face the man in front of him.

“I’ve decided I will teach you.”

Edward blinked. The dim lighting made it difficult to recognize him at first, but Scar was there without a doubt. 

“You .. you will? Why?”

“You saved these people. Even if they won’t acknowledge their own ignorance enough to thank you for it,” Scar said. The townspeople exchanged nervous glances with each other.

“Thank you, Mr. Scar,” Alphonse said. 

“Speaking of that, we should probably call you something else besides Scar. If you’re going to teach me airbending.”

“Scar will do just fine,” he said grimly, crossing his arms. “I have forsaken my name, and let go of my culture. I can teach you, but I can’t partake. Air Nomads, above all, are forbidden from taking a human life. All life has value. I haven’t acknowledged the lives of those who took away my culture for too long. Call me Scar.”

“Alright,” Edward said hesitantly. “When do we begin?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading!
> 
> In the next chapter, Avatar Edward begins airbending lessons. Strangers from Ba Sing Se appear, with no knowledge of the war. Lieutenant Hawkeye is introduced to another spirit, one with much more power than the one her Colonel killed.
> 
> If you enjoyed, feel free to comment and leave kudos! Thanks again to everyone who reads! 
> 
> These first three chapters have been somewhat brief, but the next one is going to be decently longer.


	4. Envoy from the East

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward starts his airbending training.
> 
> Ling, Lan Fan, and Fu arrive in Makapu Village with no knowledge of the war.
> 
> Riza Hawkeye has an encounter with another spirit.

The woods were quiet this early in the morning. Edward sat up from his cot and looked at his brother, leaning against a tree.

“Brother! You’re awake!”

Ed yawned and stretched his arms. 

After their outburst in the city, despite the lives they’d saved, they were no longer welcome in Makapu Village. 

“Bet Scar will be surprised to see me up,” Edward riffed, ready for his first day of airbending training.

Alphonse laughed. “Think that if you want. But Scar has been up waiting for you at the top of that mountain for at least an hour now.”

Edward blinked, still confused.

“But- the sun isn’t even up yet!”

Alphonse shrugged, and a clanking of his armor resounded through the woods.

Edward groaned, and pushed his messy blond hair into a loose ponytail. 

“You sure you’ll be alright by yourself, Al?” Edward asked.

“Of course, brother. Maybe they’ll let me back into the village. After all, I wasn’t the one who insulted their belief system.”

Rolling his eyes, Edward waved his brother off and walked towards the southern mountain. 

“So you made it after all,” Scar said menacingly.

Gasping for air, Edward placed his hands on his knees. 

“You -” He stopped to catch his breath. “You got a headstart.”

“I told you to be here by dawn. I was.”

“Well, I didn’t assume it would take so damn long!” Edward hissed. 

“That doesn’t sound like my issue.”

Edward groaned and collapsed at the peak. The view, he admitted to himself, was worth it. He could see for miles in any direction, plains, valleys, more mountain peaks, and in the distance, he caught sight of Makapu village.

The red sun was just beginning to pierce the horizon, shrouding the world in golden-orange light. 

Edward pushed himself back up to his feet and regained his composure. 

“Alright, I’m ready to start.”

“No, you’re definitely not,” Scar said. “Sit down and meditate for a moment while I tell you a few things about the Air Nomads.”

With an uncomfortable feeling in his gut, Edward assumed a meditating position. He had plenty of experience- the summer he and his brother spent trying to retrieve their mother from the Spirit World. 

“No, that’s not right. Air is the element of freedom. You look too guilty and shameful.”

Edward opened one of his eyes. “How do you expect me to look?”

“It doesn’t matter how you look.”

Scar sighed, contemplating for a moment how he wanted to go about his discussion with Edward. 

“I know that you managed to go to the Spirit World, which means you must have some vague idea about chakras.”

Edward nodded. “I’m fairly certain I managed to unlock my chakras before achieving the Avatar State the time my brother and I -”

He stopped talking, hoping that his mentor would fill in the blanks.

“You most likely did. Have you been to the Avatar State since that day?”

Edward paused before saying “no.”

“Well, we can discuss that another day. Today I want to tell you about my people.”

Feeling a twinge of guilt for temporarily working with the same people that wiped the Air Nomads to the brink of extinction, Edward squeezed his eyes shut.

“The Air Nomads’ main philosophy is peace, freedom, and openmindedness. The Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom are both ruled strictly by a monarch or figurehead of some sort. Even the Water Tribes, back when they were under their own governance, were ruled by a Chief.

“This has never been true for the Air Nomads. Tradition dictates that we are loosely governed by senior monks of the air temples. This form of leadership is why we lived in peace and harmony, but also why our culture was susceptible to the hatred of the other nations.”

Edward opened his eyes to see why Scar had stopped. He was staring at the horizon, away from his pupil. He closed his eyes before the Airbender could see.

“What you must understand about the element of air is that it is free, and cannot be shackled to earthly things. Before you can hope to be a successful Airbender, you have to understand that peace and flexibility are a must. The best airbenders,” Scar noted, “are those who have detached themselves from unnecessary guilt.” 

Edward couldn’t help but think that every sliver of guilt he felt was absolutely necessary. Maybe airbending wouldn’t be as hard as he thought. 

Scar continued. “The truly powerful airbenders, like my master, understood that to an extent, guilt is selfish. It’s worldly.”

Edward snorted. “Alright, sounds great. When can we start bending some air?”

“It’s alright that I’m here?” Alphonse asked timidly.

“Oh sure,” the shopkeeper said. “It’s your arrogant brother we have a problem with. Avatar or not, he shouldn’t disrespect Aunt Wu’s teachings.” 

“Brother isn’t arrogant,” Alphonse said, his voice echoing through his metal armor. “He’s just doing what he thinks will help, but he sometimes has a hard time looking at things through more than one lens.”

The shopkeeper grunted. “If you say so, kid.”

Alphonse handed over what was left of his and his brother’s money, and took the bagged food graciously.

On his way out of the shop, someone ran straight into him without looking.

“Oh! I’m so sorry!” Alphonse exclaimed, even though he knew he’d only stood there. 

“Hello!” The stranger said, ignoring Al and going straight for the shopkeeper. “Do you sell maps, by any chance?”

“Sure, kid.”

“Excellent.” 

Al shrugged his interaction off and began to leave the shop when he heard. “Do you know where I might find a map to the Western Air Temple?” 

He turned around, curious. Why would someone want to go there? The entire place was completely deserted. Clearly, this oddly dressed stranger had interesting plans. 

The shopkeeper laughed. “Why would a kid like you want to go there?”

“I need to speak with the monks.”

Now, this had to be some sort of a joke. 

“What are you talking about?” The shopkeeper asked.

“I already told you, dumbass. I need to speak to the senior monks at the Western Air Temple, and I’m shit with directions,” The stranger said.

“I’m sorry,” Alphonse interjected quietly. “I think you must be making a mistake.”

The kid turned to face him. “What do you mean? Do you know how to get there?”

“The monks all died at least a decade ago,” Alphonse said softly.

The stranger’s eyes went wide. “You’re kidding. What happened? I’ve been told that they hold the key to -”

“They don’t hold anything anymore, kid,” the shopkeeper interjected. “Didn’t you just hear armor boy? They’re all heaps of crispy flesh now.”

“How - how do you know for sure?”

The shopkeeper laughed. “How do you NOT know? Have you been living under a rock for the past decade?

“No- I -” the stranger began to respond. 

“Come with me,” Alphonse said gently. “I can talk more about what happened.”

Hesitantly, the stranger agreed, on the condition that Alphonse provided him with sustenance.

“There’s- a war?” Ling said, looking shaken.

Alphonse nodded.

“And all the monks- all the Air Nomads are dead?”

“Well, most,” Alphonse said. “The Air Nomad war of Extermination. Very few are left alive, and those that survived are now refugees.”

The foreigner looked stunned. “Well, that’s certainly a surprise.”

“Where … where are you from, exactly?” Alphonse asked.

“Ba Sing Se,” Ling said. “I’m the King’s eighteenth son.”

“You’re- Earth Kingdom royalty? Then how on earth did you not know about, I don’t know, this entire war!” 

Ling shrugged. “I really don’t know. I’ve never even heard of this before.”

Alphonse shook his head. “Well-”

Before Al could finish his phrase, someone was on top of him, removing his helmet. He vaguely heard “stay away from the Young Lord!” 

Surprised, the armored Elric brother fell forward in the alley.

Ling stopped mid-bite of his papaya.

“It’s cool, Lan Fan,” he said, mouth full.

“Look! He’s not human!” A woman that Alphonse assumed to be Lan Fan hissed.

“Wait-” Ling said, looking inside his acquaintance’s body. “What the hell?”

Alphonse had some explaining to do, on more than one count.

How was he going to explain all of this to Ed?

Across the ocean, in the Firelord’s palace, Riza Hawkeye waited patiently for orders outside the War Room. 

Suddenly, footsteps echoed down the hallway. Instincts alert, the Lieutenant placed her fingers over her hidden knives. 

“Excuse me, miss soldier?” 

Riza breathed out a sigh of relief. Just some kid.

“Can I please see my daddy?” He asked. 

“If your father is in the War Room, I’m afraid not. The Firelord has me under strict orders to keep anyone from disturbing him and his generals.”

“But I need to talk to my daddy,” the kid whined.

“How about you wait out here, and we can talk, okay? What’s your name, kid?” Riza asked, as patiently as she could.

“I’m Selim Bradley,” the adorable kid said, his humungous eyes sparkling in the lighting.

Riza nearly had a heart attack. “I’m sorry, did you say Bradley?”

“Yep!”

The Lieutenant’s blood ran cold. The Wrath spirit- has a son? How is that even possible? Everything she knew about the law of the universe, which wasn’t a lot, said that Spirits and humans didn’t exactly mingle well.

Which meant something else was at play.

“So your father’s the Firelord? He’s pretty important.”

The boy beamed. “I’m so proud of my daddy. He’s going to save the world!” 

Riza felt a pang of pity for the boy, who had absolutely no idea what his father was actually capable of.

For a moment, Hawkeye saw something concerning in the eye of her enemy’s son. A glint of humor, malice.

She did all she could to keep a steely expression.

“I can tell you’re afraid,” Selin whispered. The sound of his suddenly changed voice sent shivers down Riza’s spine. 

“I’m afraid I don’t what you mean, young Bradley.”

“Well you are right about one thing. You’re afraid. I’m going in to speak with my father now,” Selim Bradley said. “Move aside.”

Riza complied, not seeing any other option. 

“You’re such a steely soldier,” Selim said boldly, as he walked towards the door. “It’s such a shame you’re a nonbender. Such a shame.”

Those words reminded Riza of something … something she’d rather forget. Flashes of phantom pain echoed through her back, and the hardened soldier fought back the urge to bring her hands to her tattoo. 

No, that would only cause suspicon.

It was a shame that she wasn’t a firebender, Riza thought to herself. 

However, she had a good idea about who she was up against. She remembered the Lust Spirit, and the Wrath Spirit. Who else would have the nerve to reveal himself to a guard he met in passing? Selim was so confident in the fear he caused that he couldn’t even bring himself to threaten Riza. Who else could do this?

“Say hello to your brother for me, Pride,” Riza said stoicly. 

“So you aren’t as stupid as you look.” 

The Pride Spirit didn’t even look back as he pushed through the doors to the War Room. 

Riza let out a sigh of relief. How many of these malicious spirits were among them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to everyone who is keeping up with this story!
> 
> I'm sorry it's been so long since the last update! My All-State audition is this weekend, so I should have more time on my hands soon!
> 
> Kudos and comments appreciated!


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